Temperature actuated control



A. J. HUCK TEMPERATURE ACTUATED CONTROL Filed Dec. 28, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MED Oct. 9, 1951 A. J. HUCK 2,570,453

TEMPERATURE ACTUATED CONTROL Filed Dec. 28, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Q." "U x m W m/ mm Patented Oct. 9, 1951 Alfred- J. filliimstilimfisg Mm," assigfior to Monarch Company,- 1 St; Louis, MiL; a: corporat tion of Delaware .1 v This invention relates to temperature'aetm ated control device and particularly one adaptedfor controlling a bread toaste'r in-aeeersanee with the surface temperature of theb'r'ead itslff One object of the invention is to provide a duction heat control device wherein en-'1" temperature of the bread is actual to control elements --f or causing expansion thereof in accordance with the brad temperatu the expansion of the'eleifintsbeing utilized to' ate a movable element that terminates the 7 in'g cycle.

Another obj act is to provide a cohdu'ction heat actuated 'device intlie form of a pairof metame wires'having difierent'coe'fficiehts of expansion against whichthe bi'ad i's'he'ld'in serrate contact so'that the wires takeion the breadtempeiature and expand in a'ccoriianc'therewith,

wires being connected to a lever for swinging it" in accordance with the temperaturech'angs and the lever being operatively connected'with leasing mechanism for'the toaster to re'le'a bread carrier 'andeffectopening' of the main switch for the heating'ele'rfients *of tneto Still another objectis to provide a s-imp iii'ed construction of thermal responsive device 'com" prising a pair of wires having a d'ifieren'ti'alo'f -'ep'an'sio'n, against 'whichwirs the bread-'- "held so that the wires 're's'pond'to thefsurface temper: ature of the bread-asit toasted-a lever being connected with the wires' and' a 'spring bein'g uti lized to hold the wires" taut and permit pivoting of the lever for actuating purposes-in response' to difiereritial expansion of the two wires? l A further object is to provide 'meansoper'ated by the lever for terminating a toasting-cycle which means requires but little "energy for operation and maybe electrically operated by the circuit supplying the heat elements of the toaster for accomplishing the release of a "mechanical latch for the bread carrier and" maih-"swi'tch iif the toaster.

With these and other objects in view, my ih'- vention consists in the'construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts ofriiy'te'm perature actuated control, wher'ebyithe objects contemplated are attained, as here naf-ter more fully setforth, poiiitd olit' ili-my'clairrlsafid'illllS trated-in the accompanying drawihgs'; whrei Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectio'iia 4v e'w through a toaster showihgmv contrordevice iii association therewith;

F igure '2 is a fragmentary 'en'd viewer the lowei right hand cdrner 'of Fi'giireT to "show adial asso ciated with an adjusting knob.

e reams-l (01; 99-329) t I in: Figur'e 3.

Figure isavrfiieai ctiona-l'viw or: theiine 3 53 ofF'i'gofe' o 1 igu re' t is -a plan view of theoperating :mecha nisfn shown-"iii front of the-toaster compartment Figure 5 is an enlarged lve'rtical sectional on the line 5--5 of Figure 1. i F'igur'efi 'is an enlaifgedvartibalsectional viw oh'ithe line B B'o'fEigureLI." I i Figura isia:venticalzsectional"view oncth'eline 1.-'--'-10f Figi1re 1 sllowing-;the"brea:rl carrier in lowere'd' and -latclied pbsition; J v v Fi'gureiais' a sectionalview ion-theli'ne." B -B' of Figure 3 showing a the'rrrial latchtrelease.

Figurel91is an" emerged sectional view on the line: 9 9 of Figure l'rshowing a' manual' control device. j .L Figure .10 "isiiareduced sectional View onathe" line-il'lil'uofl iguref v, a, I Figu'r'e 1-1' Jan" :leotroediag-rammatic jview showing the elements of: rthei-controlfdevicez relation to the heating elenients; 'ofithe toaster Figure 1 2 is a isimilar; diagrammatic"view'jshow ing-atmodified form; Y V i Onethea'ccompanying: drawings Ii'have usedrth e reference numeral dlLto' indicate"a" basirani preferably 1 moldediof -zinstilati-hg material; and II 2 a toastr5casihg: which mayib'eziormed-hf sheet" metal; ThecasingJ2:haslthereintaxpair of:sl'ot's" I 4' for receiving the: breadiandbelow theseislots. breadicarriers' [6 are pro dedsupported byend" brackets I8, one" 'ofawhich a's-ranvextens'ibnin terminating in acontroi 'handle'fliior depressiiig the bread carriers; .ifrher-carriers'" are normally held in the raisedfpbsitioiieby"a spring-$2 4"con; nectedcat its upper iend' to' a stationary :brac-ket' 26"on a "front wa-llm28iofetlie toasting fcharhber and-sat its lower end'to the br'ead carriei exte'rrsion 20. I v

I To' insure that' 'both ehds ofi the bread carriers are raised and? lowered simultaneously; a 1U"- shaped lever :30 extends falorigmne sifie' .of..-the toasting chamber arid-'ihasarms'at: itsfieniis-ipiv o-ted onrivets3'2 carried by th endsofithe"t6ast ingchaniber,tlieputer' effiis ofrthearms intuiri being conneoted' by liiiks' fl 'withthefextnsioir abanaa sfmilar extension: "i t'heother endfof the bread carriers not'sho T f Th breaii er e-aeafitea t6 se iieie loweredp'os'ition b atc'h ,levfiltfi Epiv'o't'ed a 38- (s'ee Fig-ure sr to" a Bracket 40 e'kter'idihg' up wardly from a base plate 42. This-nam plate is? for the piirpbse of ifiounting tli eienients'of any corit'rol device as will hereinaffirappeain' The latch lever 36 is normally held in the raised position of Figures 3 and 5 by a spring 44 and has a hook 46 to engage over a finger 4B of the bread carrier extension 20 as shown in Figure '1 when the bread carrier is lowered. The finger 48, during the lowering operation, engages a top surface 50 of the latch lever 36 for the purpose of depressing'the latch lever against the bias of the spring 44' and swinging a latch lug '52 thereon under a latch 54, the lever bein camshaped at 56 for this purpose. The latch 54 is carried by a leaf spring 51 as shown in Figure 4 and is normally biased toward the left for assuming a position over the latch lug 52 as in.

Figure '1. The leaf spring 51 is connected to a bracket 58 of the base plate 42.

I provide an automatic actuator for the latch 54 in the form of a piece of bimetal 60 cut to U-shape as shown in Figure 8. When this bimetal element is heated by current passing therethrough, it warps toward ,theright in Figure 4 for engaging a ceramic insert62 of an adjusting screw 64 threaded in a boss. 66. of the latch 54. The bimetal actuator is thus insulated from the latch yet engages the insert 62 for mechanically moving the latch to an unlatched position.

For automatically actuating the bimetal element 60 which may betermed a .thermal motor, I provide a circuit-shownin Figure 11 which includes the heating elements'HE of the toaster, a main switch comprising switch blades 68 and and a shunt switch comprising blades 12 and 14. Current supply wires are indicated at 16 and 18. It will be noted thatthe heating elements and the switch blades are arranged in a series circuit. Accordingly, when the .main switch 68-10 is closed, the heating elements will be energized and when .thereafter the shunt switch 12-14 is opened,:fthe current will flow through the bimetal motor..601for heating .it whereas initially when the .switch 12-14 is closed, it shunts the current from passage.

The main switch 68-10 is .shown open in Fig-- ure 3. It is closed by a ceramic insert 80 carried by the bread carrier. extension 20 engaging the blade 68 and closing its contact against the contact of the. blade 10 in an obvious manner i when the bread carrier i depressed.

For automatically opening the, shunt switch 12-14, I provide a conduction heat control lever 82 (see Figure 1) which is pivoted at 84 and has connected therewith a pair of metallic wires 86 and 88. The pivot 84 is represented by the upper.

end of the spring 90', the lower. end of which is anchored as at 92 in a depression 94 of a bottom cover plate 96 ofthetoaster and the upper ends of the wires 86 and 88 are, anchored to a sheet metal channel member 98. The'wire 86 has a low thermal expansion .coeflicient and may be made of Nilvar or the like. The wire 88 has a high thermal expansion coefficient and may be made of stainless steel or the like. Thus upon temperature rise, greater expansion of the wire 881 than the wire 86.will cause the righthand end of the lever 82 in Figure 1; to lower as shown by dotted lines. If it i desirable for this end to be raised instead of lowered, the wires 86 and 88..

may be reversed.

In order to hold the slice For bread 81 against the wires 86and :88, I proyidea resilient holder wire 89 anchored at the lower end as shown at BI and its upper end normally engaging the flange I4 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3. When the slice of bread is inserted it bends the holder wire 89 to the full-line position and the resiliency of the wire thus holds the slice of bread with its surface in contact with the thermal responsive wires 86 and 88. The wire 89 may be corrugated as illustrated in order to provide a series of spaced point contacts thus giving maximum assurance of contact of the bread throughout the extent of the wires 86 and 88.

The lever 82 as shown in Figure 4, has an angular extension I00 terminating in an upward extension I02 having a right angle arm I04 overlying the switch blade 14. Thus the lowering of the lever to the dotted position of Figure 1, which position is also shown by solid lines in Figure 6, opens the switch 12-14 thereby energizing the bimetal element 60 for terminating the toasting cycle by releasing the latch 54 from the latch lever 36.

To adjust the toaster timing, the switch blades 12 and 14 are connected to the terminals of the bimetal motor 60 by flexible leads 13 and 15 which permits the initial spacing between'the lever end I04 and the switch blade 14 to be adjusted a shown in Figure 6. The switch blade 14 carries a ceramic insert'I06 so that there is no electrical contact between the blade and the element I04. Both blades12 and 14 are mounted on a bracket I08 pivoted at IIO to an ear. II2 .extending upwardly from the base plate 42,. insulators H4 and H6 being used to insulate the blades from each other and from the bracket I08.- The free end of the bracket I08 is held engagedwith an eccentric I I8 by a spring I20 and carries.

a stop pin I22 operable in a slot I24 of the eccentric to limit rotation of the eccentric to abouttoast color. When the eccentric H8 is adjusted to raise the bracket I08 in Figure 6, the timing is short for light toast and when it is rotated the other way for lowering the bracket, it takes longer for the lever end I04 to reach the ceramic insert I06 and the toast color is darker.

It is also desirable to utilize the control knob .7

I40 for either manually releasing the bread carriers independent of the automatic release or holding them in a lowered position while permit.- ting the toaster cycle to be automatically terminated when it is desirable to keep the finished. toastwarm by preventing it from being elevated partially out of the toaster thus absorbing the This residual heat from the heating elements. is accomplished by adapting the knob I40 .to release the bread carriers when pushed inwardly and to lock them against complete upward movement when pulled outwardly.

For this purpose, a flange I42 is provided on the, shaft I36 and is normally in the position shown in Figure 9 with relation to a ,U-shaped leaf spring I44. When thefiange is pushedto- Ward the left in Figure 9, the terminal ends of,

the leaf spring tend to force it back whereas when it is pulled to the right, it will snap over detents I46 of the leaf spring and remain in the 1 pulled-out position.

5, rt q he fiange cooperates witn a lU-sliaped efidallfi; era lever "IIl'as shown in Figure -IO which is pivoted at I52. 'The's'h'ape of this' leveris shown indotted outline in Figure *4 and has an upward extension at I54 for-release purposesiand a hooklike "extension at I 56 for retaining "the bre'ad o'alrier'in a keep-warm,position. Tlieexte'flsidn I54 is adapted 'to 'engage' tlie latch 54- a'nd swing it toward the right when the kiiob I40 is pushed inwardly whereas 'the hooked iug zltt is adapted to extend over a' flange I58of't'he-bread carrier extensiontfl asshownin-Figure 1'7 when the knob is pulled outwardly. In Figure 4 it will benoted that'the extension I54 is out of engagement with the latch 54 and the hooked lug I56 is out of alignment with'the flange I58 so that -lticliwise rotation 6f 7 the sever I 55 "will uiilatch the latch or counter-clockwise rotation will swing the hook. I56 over the fiange I58.

Referring again to "Figure lit is obvious that whenthe latch 54 is releasedfthe bread'carrier will'commence to rise butif'the'hook I56 is over the "flange I58, it will rise only a short distance. This distance is sufficient to open the m'ai'n switch but retain the toast well down in the toaster instead of elevating it" to aI position where it can be removed. Subsequently'when it is de- 'sirable' to remove the toast, theknob I40 is'ipus'hed inwardly for unlatching the latch.

Upon running a series of tests to determine the actual bread temperature as the toast reaches a medium color, I found that a surprisingly uniform temperature reading is had each time regardless of whether the toaster was hot from previous toasting or not. There is a radical rate of change in the surface temperature of the toast as it starts and continues to brown and by taking advantage of the surface temperature of the toast by means of the wires 86 and 88 in contact therewith, I am able to provide a very satisfactory cycle-terminating means which produces substantially uniform toast color in successive cycles without having to compensate for ambient rise of temperature within the toaster.

A very simple means has been disclosed to sense the surface temperature of the toast and convert the temperature into movement for actuating the necessary mechanism to automatically terminate the toasting period.

Instead of the arrangement thus far disclosed, the latch 54 may be released by means of a thermal motor or an electromagnet, the latter being shown in Figure 12 and consisting of a switch Nd-14a which is normally open instead of normally closed and shunts the heating element HE in series with an electromagnetic coil 60a adapted to actuate a plunger 602; which in turn would release the latch 54 in place of the bimetal element 60 of Figure 11. The switch blade 12a of course would be moved to the closed position by the lever end I04 and it is thus obvious that the lever may be used in different ways for accomplishing the same end result. 'Also the lever end I04 may be used to directly engage the latch 54 if the parts are carefully balanced and making possible theiisescf-a relativly smal-i relay. 1

Some changes may be made in th'econstruction -:and arrangement of the parts 'of "my tem-" perature actuated control without departing from the reai spirit and purpose of my invention; and it is my intenti'on to cover "by my claims any modified forms of-structure'or use of mechanical equivalents which may be "reasonably included within their'sco'p'e.

a I claim as my invention:

1. A bread toasterbomprising 'bread slice heat ing :means, a bread carrier "for carrying "a bread slice tdatpositioh to receive heat' from said heating means, toasting interval control meansun-i eluding =a pair "of thermal responsive elements having differingcoefficients of expansion, said elements "engagin'g the bread slice to respond :to

the surface temperature thereof, a lever, said thermal responsive elements being connected-at spaced ipoints to -said lever, -a spring con-nected to i said lever between said spaced points whereby to;pivot the lever, latch means for holding the: bread'carrier in toasting position, and latch-re leasing means operated by saidlever when' the: bread attains a surface temperature correspond-- ing to the desired-color of toast.

22. A-b'r ea'd toaster comprising heating inea'n's; a bread carrier for carrying a slice of bread to. a position to receive heat from said heating; means, automatic control means including a pair: of thermal responsive elements engaging the bread slice to respond to the surface temperature. thereof, one of said elements having a greatercoefiicient of expansion than the other, a lever,. said elements being connected at spaced points. to said lever, a spring connected to said leverbetween said spaced points whereby to pivot the: lever, latch means for holding the bread carrierin toasting position, and latch releasing means; engaged and operated by said lever as it is movedv in response to temperature rise.

3. Toaster timing mechanism comprising a pairof wires anchored at one end and having a. thermal expansion differential operable to; lengthen one wire more than the other when. they are heated, means for holding a slice of. bread with its surface in contact with said wires; whereby the wires respond to the surface tem-- perature of the bread as it is toasted, a leverconnected with the other ends of said wires, the. connection of the wires thereto being spaced,- a pivot between said connections, spring means, biasing said anchored ends of said wires and. said pivot relatively away from each other where-- by the lever swings in one direction upon tem-- perature rise of the toast surface, and means; actuated by said lever for terminating a toasting; cycle.

4. Toaster timing mechanism comprising a pair of wires having a thermal expansion differential. operable to lengthen one wire more than the other when they are heated, means for holding a slice of bread in surface contact with said wires, a lever connected with said wires, the connection of the wires thereto being spaced, a pivot between said connections, spring means biasing said pivot in the general direction of expansion of said wires whereby the lever swings in one direction upon temperature rise of the toast surface, means for latching a bread carrier of the toaster in toasting position, a thermal motor for releasing said latch when the motor is heated by the passage of electric current therethrough, and a shunt switch for said latch, said switch being 7 7 opened by said lever when swung inrsaid one direction. i 5. Toaster timing mechanism comprising a pair of wires having a thermal expansiondifierential operable to lengthen one wire more than the other when they are heated, means for holding a slice of bread in surface contact with said wires, a lever connected with said wires, the connection of the Wires thereto being spaced, a pivot between .said connections, spring means biasing said pivot .in the general direction of expansion of said wires whereby the lever'swings in one direction upon temperature rise of the toast surface, means for latching a bread carrier of the, toaster in toasting position, a thermal motor for releasing said latch when the motor is heated by the passage of electric current therethrough, and switch means operable to energize said thermal motor and actuated by said lever, when swung in said one direction.

6. Toaster timing mechanism comprising a pair of wires having a thermal expansion differential operable to lengthen one wire more than the other when they are heated, means for holding a slice of bread in surface contact with said wires, a lever connected with said wires, the connection of the wires thereto being spaced, a pivot between said connections, a spring connected with said pivot whereby the lever swings in one direction upon temperature rise of the toast surface, means for latching a bread carrier of the toaster in toasting position, a thermal motor for releasing said latch when the motor is heated by the passage of electric current there through, a shunt switch for said latch, said switch being opened by said lever when swung in said one direction, a mounting for said shunt switch, and means for adjusting said mounting away from said lever to. increase the travel of the lever before it opens said shunt switch.-

ALFRED J, HUCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

